Porkchop
by DeidaraStalker408
Summary: Her crutch gave her this feeling inside that filled every empty hole anyone had ever left. Her crutch gave her strength to be herself. But, most of all, her crutch gave her a feeling inside that made her give him her life so he could be as happy as she.
1. Chapter 1

**Porkchop**

An Akimichi Chouji Mini-Series

I licked my lips, a grin the size of a plump, ripe banana spreading out onto my lips. My fingers were stained red with barbeque sauce, which was soon licked clean.

I liked to savor things, don't get me wrong; taste meant everything to me. I mean, if there was no variety in life, everything would taste the same. But, the problem was, that I just didn't have the patience to wait for one bite to dissolve into pure bliss-- instead, I felt the need to keep forcing down the delicasies until their taste was continuous.

Perhaps that was why I was a bit bigger than the other girls my age, as much as I hated to admit it. The fact that I had been, and always will be, a bit more round than the others, even some of the boys (or, rather, _most_ of the boys), had crushed my ego. Though, I never let it show on the outside; there, I kept my guard up and was always in a good mood. This made me fairly popular at the academy, despite my weight draw-back.

"Oh, come on," I heard Naruto whine from beside me. "Don't eat _all_ the barbeque!" He snapped his chopsticks in half beside me with an angry air about him.

I laughed, taking yet another loin from the burner, located in the center of our table. "Mmm," I joked, closing my eyes in ecstasy as I popped the slice of meat into my mouth. "It's so . . . good!"

"Yeah, yeah," he fumed, snatching five slices of the barbeque chops off the burner, the food only almost escaping my greedy, messy fingers.

"Hmph," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest defiantly. "You'll pay for that, Uzumaki. No one takes the last loin and gets away with it. _No one._" I glared at the blonde menacingly, nearly cackling with laughter as I noticed him drawing back in fear of my wrath which was soon to come, should he not give me another slice of meat.

"Okay, okay!" he surrendered after a moment, taking a piece of the barbeque from his plate and placing it on my own gingerly. "Geez, Porkchop-- for a second there, I thought you were really going to kill me!"

I giggled, chomping on the meat before gulping it down with extreme haste. "Licking my lips once again, I straightened up and laughed. "You know, Naruto, for a second there, I thought I was going to kill you, too."

The Kyuubi's host grinned cheesily at my joke. "Yeah, right," he mocked. "You couldn't hurt a fly!"

"Bet I could if I really wanted to," I mused, taking a sip of the ice water resting in the glass which had moments before been completely filled to the brim. "I mean, I've gotten just as much training to become a Genin as you have."

He pouted, seeing my point. "You make a good argument," he began, "but I don't feel like yelling at someone right now."

In unison, we crossed our arms behind our heads and leaned back, resting on the plush cushioning of our restaurant seats. Everything was calm; we had entered the shop just after the lunchtime rush, so there was hardly anyone occupying the booths of the restaurant. We liked it that way, as we both made time in our schedules to meet at this same place every Wednesday since the day I turned nine.

We made a real pair, Naruto and I. Friends since we were merely school children in the academy, just beginning our paths of becoming ninja. It was really a silent agreement we had, the two of us sticking together until we went our separate ways at age twelve and would inevitably be sorted onto different teams. There was no way anyone could be sure that we wouldn't end up lucky and get stuck together on a team, but the chances were slim to none, due to our graduating class being fairly large.

I yawned, stretching my arms above my head and shaking in delight. A grin appeared on my thin, pink lips as a ray of sunlight danced in through the window next to the booth in which Naruto and I sat.

"Hana," Naruto began, "I've gotta get back to the academy; Iruka-sensei told me that he could help me work on my transformation jutsu."

Nodding, I gave the whiskered boy a coy grin and chinned him. "All right," I said, understanding that he needed all the help he could get on that jutsu; it was his worst trait, the transformation technique. Every time he tried it, the jutsu always seemed to turn out wrong.

"Later!" he called, jogging out of the shop in a streak of orange.

A long, drawn-out sigh escaped from my lips as I soon realized just how sneaky that blonde kid was-- he didn't even give me a bit of cash to pay for lunch. Though, as I contemplated what he had done, it made sense. I mean, I did eat most of the food, so it only would be conceivable for me to pay the majority, or rather, the whole check.

"Are you all finished up?" came that sugary-sweet voice of the waitress, hovering over me with a notepad and pen in hand.

"Yeah," I murmured softly, reaching into my pocket to scrounge out enough yen to pay for the meal. I sighed, counting up just the right amount, with no change left over to pay for a bag of chips once I left.

_I'll get you back, Naruto,_ I thought with a look on my face which showed just how desperate I felt at that moment.

I pushed the door to the restaurant open, and walked out into the warm, summery air; it whisked past my skin, as if giving me gentle kisses along every surface it touched. My sudden disposition of anger had changed almost immediately once I felt the mood of the outdoors. Soon, I had cooled off, and didn't care so much that I would be one chip bag short for the day. After all, I still had a leftover bag of barbeque chips from the day before, which I had stuck in my pocket for safe keeping.

And, it seemed as if fate was guiding me to never fall short in my pursuit to have my chips. I grinned toothily and popped the plastic bag open; almost immediately, my mouth was full of the crispy, flavorful treat. Perfect for an after-meal treat.

My ears perked up as the sound of someone chastising another rang out through the once calm summer afternoon. The corners of my lips turned downwards, and my mood soured a small portion. As I turned the street corner, my eyes locked upon the scene unraveling quickly and with extreme precision before me.

"Choji," the young Yamanaka chided, "you've gotta stop eating so much! Don't you know that's bad for your health?"

"But, Ino," he defended, "I gotta eat! There'd be no point in life if I didn't eat as much as I do now! I still don't understand how you can diet so long."

She giggled, sticking out her tongue; her fingers itched the back of her neck. "Aw, I have to! You know, so guys will think I'm pretty-- like _Sasuke_." She folded her hands, bringing them up towards her face and giggled once again.

"Hey!" I called, waving my hand in the air as both of their heads turned towards me with an air of surprise. "Ino! Choji!"

The blonde laughed, her smile large and her eyes wide. "Hey, Porkchop!" Porkchop was her nickname for me, due to my fixation with food; she had called me by the name once a long time ago, and it just kind of stuck.

"Hi, Hanazono," Choji grinned, waving his taped hand back at me. "Long time, no see."

"Hey, guys," I said, finally catching up with them. My big, green eyes were filled with delight at the sight of my two friends. Albeit, they might not have been _good_ friends, I could still talk with them without feeling a bit self-conscious. "Heading off to train today?"

"No," Ino huffed, "I've gotta work the next shift at the shop. You know how it is."

"Yeah," I answered, hardly miffed by her unhappiness. "That's too bad. But," I added, "I'm sure you'll have fun. I mean, owning a flower shop's gotta be fun, right?"

"Not really," she groaned, her shoulders hunched. "I can hardly call i working /i any fun at all. I mean, unless it's got to do with my training."

I sighed happily. "I love flowers. They're so beautiful, and it's unbelievable that there's actually something that spectacular growing all on its own here, on Earth."

"They don't all grow by themselves," Ino reminded me, sticking out her pointer finger. "We have to do practically all the work ourselves, no help from them."

"Sure, sure," I replied nonchalantly, waving my hand through the air with a tone of insignificance. "Believe what you will, I still think they're great."

The sound of Choji, smacking his lips together as a chip from his own bag flew into his mouth was one of the few sounds heard, as the streets were unnaturally quiet and bare; his large, typical grin was taped to his lips as he gulped down the snack.

"Choji!" Ino snapped, her once calm look turning a bit angered as she flipped around, facing the stout boy. In one swift movement, she snatched the bag of chips from his hands and crossed her arms over her chest, while a triumphant grin glazed her lips.

The swirly-cheeked boy beside me stared at his friend in disbelief, his own eyes now wide in shock; although the shock soon turned to anger.

"Ino, give me back my chips, now!" he demanded, his hands balling up into fists at his sides. "They're mine, and you've got no right to take them from me!"

"He's right, Ino," I said, sighing defeatedly. "You really shouldn't have done that."

"No!" she argued. "He's got to watch his weight!"

"Here," I said to Choji after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "You can have mine." I handed him my bag of barbeque chips, and smiled genuinely at him. A glint of understanding hit my eyes, and watched as he thankfully took the bag from my dimpled grasp.

"Thanks, Hana," Choji told me, his usually closed eyes now opening to glance up into mine. They were honest and gentle, which suited his personality perfectly. Well, it suited him until you took his chips -- after that point, he's like a wild jungle animal.

"No problem; Ino, you can share with Choji if ya like." I grinned at her, motioning to the chips the boy beside her inhaled chips from.

She flipped her hair and gave a cocky grin. "Nah, I've got to watch my weight; chips are extremely unhealthy, you know. Fattening."

My lips turned downwards, and I felt like she was trying to slip in some non-verbal comment in the statement. Although I vowed not to let it get to me, there was still a bit of sadness clinging to my words from then on during our conversation.

"Oh, all right, then, Ino," I reasoned. "Though I don't think a few chips will really make a difference in your weight."

She laughed. "I'm not going to ruin my diet plan just because a few chips! No thank you, I'm fine without the extra snacks."

I nodded, then turned my back slightly to the two friends. "I suppose I'll see you two later; I should probably go train, or something."

They waved, and I walked away in silence. The only other thing I heard from either of them before turning down the street towards my house was Choji's deep, light-hearted call: "Goodbye, Hana!"

I smiled lightly to myself; he was a nice boy, Choji. I decided, then and there, that we should have been good friends. And I wasn't quite sure why I knew this, but it dawned on me in that moment a fact that changed the way my mind worked. Of course, this made me feel a bit uncomfortable; why was I suddenly feeling this way? Why was I making such a big deal about this one boy?

Shrugging, I tried focusing my mind on something else. . . .

. . . And just then, something landed on my shirt. I glanced down and found a small butterfly clinging to my shirt. It was light blue.

I stopped in the middle of the street and turned back around and made my way back to the end of the street. I peeked my head out from behind the brick wall and glanced back at Ino and Choji.

At first, neither of them noticed me. Not even in the slightest. But, after a moment of staring at the two, Choji turned his head around; his eyes roamed about in such a way that made it believable that he was looking for something.

When his eyes landed on mine, I could feel just the slightest bit of warmth landing on my cheeks almost as suddenly as the butterfly. But when I saw him smile, taking one last chip out of the bag and popping it in to his mouth, I couldn't help but mirror him. There was something about the guy that made him different from the other kids at the academy. I just couldn't seem to put my finger on it.

I stroked the butterfly's wing lightly and felt it fly away.

--

It wasn't until a few years later that I truly realised just how kind Choji was to me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Porkchop;**

An Akimichi Chouji Mini-Series

Morning sunlight streamed in through the open window of my bedroom, cracked just enough to let in a short blow of the air's ice. The sun was just rising at the seemingly late time of nine-thirty. Winter had caused everything to slow down, even the sun which I had thought to be so consistent no matter how many rainy days life threw at it. A fine white dust covered everything just outside my room.

I let my eyelashes flutter open, then clench tightly down once I felt the frigid air hanging around me. I tugged the bed's comforter around me hastily, trying to soak up any heat it was possible for it to conjure up in that split second.

Groaning, my eyes finally opened calmly and swirled around my room like the snowflakes that buzzed in the winter morning's air. My teeth clenched and I flung myself out of the bed. But, obviously, I had clutched around me the blanket. My legs were bare except for the sleep shorts I had so stupidly worn to bed.

Once outside my bedroom, I realized just how cold it was in my quarters. The living room was much warmer and more comforting than my bedroom, and I was grateful for that.

"Hana," I heard my mother call from the kitchen. "Good morning."

"Morning, Mom," I said, stifling a yawn in the back of my throat. "What's for breakfast?"

She giggled childishly. "Oh, Hana, nearly every day since you were four you asked me that in the morning. Did you know?"

"Nope, didn't know," I said. "But you still didn't answer the question."

She knew I had said it in a joking tone, so her lip wasn't quite as stiff as I knew it could be. "What do you want? I could make you pancakes. Would you like that?"

I smiled. "Yeah, pancakes would be great."

After breakfast had commenced, I crawled back to my frozen room and slipped on some equally frigid clothes. Just a simple pant and shirt; today was an exception, meaning that I wouldn't have to train with my team for the entire course of the day.

You could probably guess what I'd be doing-- taking a trip to the new restaurant that had opened up in town. I was almost positive that it wouldn't do nearly as great as some of the other shops in the city-- take Ichiraku, for example-- but it would do fair. And I so obviously needed something to do to occupy myself for the day, so this taste-testing for me would be a fulfilling experience.

"Bye, Mom!" I called, walking out the front door while slipping on my winter jacket. "I'll be back later!"

She merely smiled and waved.

I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath; my lungs filled with the bitter, frosty air and I shivered. My footprints made small markings in the snow everywhere I walked, showing my trail from the house to the end of the walk.

Winter had to have been my least favorite season out of every option-- summer was warm and loving, spring was the beginning of everything, and fall was brisk and full of comfort. The way I saw it, winter pretty much sucked. That is, compared to the other seasons.

Once I reached town, I noticed the lack of people outside. I figured the population decrease must have been due to the sudden temperature drop. Only about half of the normal amount of people walking the streets was what the temperature had cut out of our city.

The shop's sign read "Nakimaru Steakhouse". I shrugged and pushed open the door. A rush of warm air slapped me in the face almost as fiercely as the winds raging just outside.

When I had gotten over the temperature shock of the restaurant, I opened my eyes to my surroundings. The entire shop was built off the color brown, which I found a naturally boring color for a new place in town. Still, I decided I wouldn't judge it completely until I had tried the food. That was what really mattered, anyways, wasn't it?

My eyes landed on the clock looming above the kitchen's entrance. The time read twelve thirty-seven; my lips subconsciously turned downwards when I realized what I would have been doing at this time two years ago.

Naruto and I had experienced a sort of falling out. We were the best of friends, but only up until the day we graduated. From that point on, we both were sorted in to different teams, and neither of us really spoke after that.

The real point for me that our friendship ended was the day after we were sorted to our teams. I arrived at our usual lunch spot, where we had met every day for lunch. A normal day.

But he never showed up to join me.

It hit me then that I had to grow up. He so obviously had; just a year later, he left the village to train with one of the sages. Still hasn't returned. Sometimes I wonder how he's doing. If he's all right, if he's learning any useful jutsus, if he's getting stronger every day. If he's happy.

"Hey, Hana!" I heard a voice call. "Over here!"

My head flipped around to meet the upturned lips of the youngest Akimichi-- the swirls on his cheeks were looking redder than ever today.

I waved, then walked towards him. "Long time, no see, Choji. How've you been?"

"I've been great!" he told me, taking a long sip of his drink. "You?"

"Same," I said absent-mindedly. "I got today off so I came here to see what this place has on the others in town."

"Me too," he agreed. "Want to eat with me? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I thought I'd ask. You're here alone, right?"

"Yeah," I said, "I'm here by myself. And I'd love to eat with you. If you don't mind."

He scooted over in the seat to let me have some room. The two of us together hardly fit on the plush cushion that covered the seat, but we made do with what we were given. I smiled once the waitress came and filled a glass of ice water and set it down in front of me.

"Thanks," I said politely, taking a small sip.

The woman took our orders and scribbled them down on her notepad with great haste. She gave a light grin and took off towards another table that was filled nearly as full as ours. Of course, there were at least three people sitting at the table across from us.

I shook my head lightly, clearing my thoughts.

My finger tapped Choji's arm confusedly, which was the same look he returned me with. I bit my lip.

"Where's your armor?" I asked. "I thought you always wore that now."

"Oh, that," he laughed, a small drop of sweat appearing on the side of his head. "No, I only wear it on days I train. Like you, I guess."

I let my eyes flash down at my own apparel and sighed in the sporadic way that I always seemed to do. "Aha, right. Sorry."

"No problem," he smiled. "Guess we're kind of similar."

I snorted. "We're practically twins."

After a moment, it seemed Choji had understood my meaning. He laughed, then took a swig of the drink sitting before him. "Yeah, we are."

When the food finally arrived, my eyes glazed over. The food resting on top of the plate looked oh-so delicious. Everything about it did. If I had to eat that meal with my eyes, it would be gone within a matter of minutes. Perhaps even seconds-- it looked so good.

But Choji was the first to find something wrong with the food.

His face became contorted into a grimace, something that did not fit Choji at all. "What happened to this?"

I took a bite, and my own face soon turned in to the same expression Choji's had only moments before. "Wow, that's not right."

Both of exchanged glances of extreme dislike and disgust, until he spoke again. "Come on; I'll pay for it and we'll go. I don't know about you, but something is definitely wrong with this food and I don't want to eat it. That's saying something, I think."

I shook my head with a small smile. "Me neither. But, come on, Choji; you shouldn't have to pay for it if you didn't even eat it."

"Don't worry about it, Hana," he said politely. "I'll do it to be courteous to the restaurant, but I'm not going to come here again. It's no problem."

After a moment of quiet, I said, "Well, then, at least let me pay for mine."

Maybe he saw the look in my eyes that said I wasn't going to let him win the battle, so he sighed and said I could pay for some of the meal. We left the shop together and didn't even look back.

"Wonder what happened to the food?" I asked. "Everyone else there seemed to like it."

Choji shrugged. "I don't know, maybe they just cooked ours wrong?"

"Maybe," I thought. "Oh well, it's not like it matters because I'm definitely not going back there. Are you?"

"Nope," he laughed. Soon, I was laughing too. I didn't really know why, but the two of us were just laughing so hard it was nearly impossible to stop. Nothing was even funny about the statement. Maybe we both were just enjoying the other's company, but I thought it was more than that. The two of us kind of needed each other in a way, because I know that I hadn't felt so good in a long time.

_Come to think of it, I haven't seen_ Choji _in a while,_ I thought to myself. _Maybe that has something to do with it._

Either way, I was having a good day. And that was usually near impossible when I ate something as bad as that chicken. I sighed, and linked my arm in with Choji's.

"You know what?" I asked him.

"What?" he inquired back at me.

My lips curved up in to a smile. "You're an okay guy, Choji. I think I like you."

"I think I like you, too, Hana," he grinned.

And the snow was blowing outside, and the wind was fiercer than earlier, but I can't remember ever being so warm.


	3. Chapter 3

**Porkchop; **

An Akimichi Chouji Mini-Series

My hands were stuck hard inside the pockets of my jacket. And I kept wondering, "When is the sunshine going to come out?" But it never did that day. In fact, it got so much darker. Did I even remember the last time it had been so dark for an entire day? No, I didn't. That was the only time I can ever remember the sky becoming so gray and dull and dark.

I kicked a rock to the side of the road, then searched for another small pebble to occupy myself. Sadly, the entirety of the road was covered in snow so finding another rock would be near impossible.

Finding myself thinking about Choji became a habit for me. He was so kind, and he gave so much, that I couldn't help but keep turning my mind back to him. That day, it seemed that he was the only thing on my mind. It had been but four days since I had seen him last, and that was the first time in a long while that I had seen him. Choji was starting to become my better half, and I didn't even notice it before the change had been completed.

A shiver ran down my spine; it was so black in the air and so cold and frozen that small goosebumps made their ways up and down my arms. I cursed winter with every fiber in my being and I really wanted to be anywhere but Konoha at that moment. Maybe Sunagakure. At least it would be warmer and better than here.

I sighed. Perhaps I'd go over to see Choji. He'd probably help me pass the time in the darkness better than I could on my own.

When I realized that, once I had arrived in the Akimichi residence, that Choji had food poisoning, I could have gone down to that Nakimaru Steakhouse and set it on fire.

"Oh, I see," I told Choji's father. "Um, nevermind-- would you mind having him let me know when he's better? I'll just come over then."

I turned around, and just when I was about to leave, I heard Choza call, "Why don't you stay?"

Stopping, my head flipped around. "Ah, um, don't you think it would be best for Choji to get better by himself?" I took a few unsure steps towards Choza.

"Nonsense!" he laughed, slapping me on the back twice. "I always say that love is the best medicine!"

". . . .You always say that?"

He threw back his head and laughed, then slapped my back a third time. "Nah, I was just pulling your chain. Still, though; if you'd like to stay, you're more than welcome."

There was hardly any pondering done before I made up my mind. "Well, all right, then. I guess I could stay for a little while." And I stepped in to the home with one large step. The door slammed shut only a moment later, soon followed by Choza walking around me and in to the kitchen.

"Come on," he told me. "What was your name again?"

"Hanazono."

He grinned, and I followed him in to the large eating area. "Cute name."

"Thank you, Choza-san," I told him politely. "Is there anything you want me to do while I'm here?"

"Well, sure," he said. "I guess you could go check on Cho, see how he's doing. Why don't you go do that for me?"

I nodded, but when I went to walk towards where I assumed Choji's room to be, I could have sworn I saw Choza smirking at me. Not only a moment later, he called, "First door on the right of the hallway."

Opening the door, I found Choji laying on his bed so pale and limp. He groaned, and my heart leaped nearly a foot. He pulled his covers around himself tighter and sighed loudly. My eyes watched his facial features carefully, making sure he was calm before I dared speak a word.

"Choji?"

His eyes flashed open, surprised, and stared up at me for a moment like a deer caught in the headlights. Then, once he finally realized the situation, he calmed.

"Hanazono?" he questioned.

I laughed nervously. "Um, yeah. Hi."

After a moment, he shrugged himself in to a position that helped him to sit up better. "What are you doing here?"

Shrugging, I said, "I dunno. Nothing better to do, I suppose."

"Oh," he said, almost a bit downcast.

"But when I got here," I continued, "your dad told me you got food poisoning. That's terrible, I think. I haven't had it before, but I'm sure it feels really horrible."

He smiled tiredly. "I think I'm doing pretty good, actually. I've only gotten nausea, abdominal pain, and a fever. Technically, it could be worse."

"Why don't you just get some medicine to take care of it? I'm sure someone could come and take care of it in a few minutes. You want me to make a trip and get Sakura to come help you, or something?"

He sighed. "No thanks-- after having foodborne illness four times before, I've learned that it's best just to wait it out rather than taking any medicine. Well, besides painkillers. Those are all right."

I sat down on the edge of Choji's bed and thought for a minute. "Well, do you think I could make you something? Soup, a sandwich?"

"You don't have to make me anything, Hana."

I cocked my head to the side. "Are you sure? I mean, I've gotten pretty good at cooking after fifteen years of practice."

He was silent, but soon his indifferent face upturned in to a smile. A nice, even, truly happy smile. And it was one of those smiles that you just have to reflect, otherwise you've got a stick up your ass.

"Okay, Hana," he agreed. "Will you make me some soup?"

I grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "You got it, Cho."

"Where'd you get 'Cho' from?" he asked quietly before I left the room.

"Your dad called you it," I said. "It kind of seems to fit you."

--

As I prepared the chicken noodle soup for Choji, I thought about the last time I had seen him before we were sorted in to our teams. No one really talked to each other outside of our teams that first year, but once the rules began to bend when we got older, it seemed more appropriate to associate with other ninja in our age group.

The last time I could really remember talking to him was when we passed the exams. He met me outside the academy, and congratulated me on becoming a fully fledged ninja. We gave each other high fives and grinned from ear to ear. We were so happy that day.

The sun's rays were intense that day, when we all became genin. Everything was so alive and green, that warm summer day. There was nothing that could put a damper on my mood. Not one thing.

I remember, however faintly the memory was, that one small blue butterfly flew by my cheek and gave me one indescribable butterfly kiss. I chased that butterfly, so strangely amused by it and why it could have possibly landed on me. Of all people, that is.

And then, I heard a loud voice yelling at someone else from the academy. My eyes stayed on that one butterfly for only a moment longer before I turned my head at the source of all the commotion.

I suddenly stopped making that chicken noodle soup. It was like I was having a sudden revelation; something that I hadn't noticed before was coming back to me. It had been so long since that day, I hadn't even tried remembering it until that moment in the kitchen, while I made chicken noodle soup.

I wiped my eyes; they were becoming itchy and tingly and I didn't like it one bit. So I finished making the chicken noodle soup, and I put it in a bowl, and I carried it in two hot pads towards Choji's room. I opened up the door and closed it behind me, and then I handed the bowl off to Choji.

"Thank you, Hana," he said, slurping up the noodles and chicken. "It's very good."

But I knew it wasn't all that good, because it was straight out of the can they had laying in the backs of their cupboards. Though I supposed it was just the type of person Choji was, being kind to people who really didn't even deserve it.

"You're welcome," I said, even though I knew he was just fibbing.

While he slurped his soup, I thought through the remains of the memory as fast as I possibly could.

After I had turned around from watching that butterfly, I noticed that Choji was the one yelling at another boy in our graduating class. It was so unlike Choji that I dismissed it. Oh, had I dismissed it for _so_ long.

The words that I caught from the conversation were only the ones of greatest importance. "Not fat", "big-boned", and "don't call her that" were rolling off the tip of Choji's tongue like rapid fire. And I didn't even notice until now what had actually taken place.

I sat on the floor of Choji's room and hugged my knees up to my chest. I heard Choji ask me what was wrong, but I merely shook my head and told him nothing-- I was just tired. But that was about as far from the truth as was possible.

And once I had remembered that one act of kindness in our childhood, another one came at me just as quick. I hardly even had time to react before my mind forced it on me and crushed me like a ton of bricks.

When everyone else had called me "Porkchop" as kids, he was the only one that had ever called me by my real name. By the name my parents had given me, and the one that didn't make me feel bigger than anyone else my age. He had called me Hana when no one else had, and it hurt me so much to realize that so late. I felt so embarrassed and lightheaded.

Since weight had been such a big issue for me my entire life, I had never realized how much it hurt now, realizing that all of my friends had been poking fun at me the entire time. Everyone except for Choji.

I rubbed my eyes again.

"Thanks Hana," he said with a big grin. "It really did taste good. I didn't think I could eat anything today because of my stomach, but I guess you proved me wrong!"

Smiling, I said, "Guess I did."

After a moment of silence, Choji spoke again. "Hey, are you all right? You seem kind of sad."

"I'm not sad," I told him, rubbing my eyes again. "Don't worry. Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah," he said with a small smile. "Your soup really cleared up my headache."

And I wouldn't be the one to point out that it probably wasn't even my soup-- it was most likely the medication Choji had taken kicking in to rid him of his headache.

"That's good to hear," I said. "You know what, Choji? You're too nice."

He raised his eyebrows and scooted over on his bed. "What do you mean?"

I sighed deeply, taking a seat next to him on his bed after he made room for me. "You're just too nice of a person. Did you know that I just realized how long you've been sticking up for me?"

He was silent for a minute. "I haven't been sticking up for you, Hanazono."

Choji's eyes were so serious and truthful that I almost felt like he really didn't think that what he was doing was sticking up for me. "You see? That's what I mean."

"I don't understand what you mean," he said, "but that's okay."

Standing up from his bed seemed to take a lot of energy. I felt kind of dizzy, but I tried not to let it show through. "I don't think I'm feeling so good, Choji. I think I'm going to go home, is that okay?"

"Yes, of course," he told me. "I'm really sorry you aren't feeling good. You know that if I wasn't sick right now, I'd come over to your house and make you some soup, right?"

"I think I kind of did know that," I said, a slow smile spreading on to my lips. "Thanks, Choji. You should be better in a day or two. Maybe I'll come in and check on you tomorrow, if you want me to."

"Sure," he agreed. "That would be really nice of you."

I bent down to his level and embraced him in a big hug. He returned it almost confusedly, and almost slowly, but he returned it nonetheless. I breathed in, then breathed out. My mind was even dizzier than it had been before.

"Thank you, Choji," I said.

". . . .You're welcome."

And when we broke away, I planted a small peck right in the center of the swirl on Choji's left cheek. I watched as his face turned almost as red as his forehead protector.

I waved to him sheepishly, and walked out of his room.

--

Needless to say, only one day after Choji had gotten over his illness, I received my first dosage of food poisoning.

And you can just about guess who came over to help take care of me.


End file.
